27 July 2017 – This may only be his first time coaching in the demanding and challenging SAB National U21 National Championships but Gauteng mentor, Tumelo Ndaba is already gunning for the title.

Gauteng have not done well in the last few seasons of the competition, failing to make the final in the last three editions.

But coming in with a big reputation and a CAF A coaching license, Ndaba is seen as a Moses who will drastically change the fortunes of the host province.

His soft-spoken nature makes him seem easy to deal with. Through his coaching methods, his players have come to understand that he demands nothing but hard-work and total commitment.

After all, this is a man who guided Gauteng to the Burger King U19 Championships victory in Cape Town last December.

“We started the tournament well, even though we won the first one and lost the second. We have good players but we have realised that we are in a tournament that has a lot of good teams and great players. But our aim still remains that of winning this tournament and take football in the province to a new level,” Ndaba said.

“What I love about competing in the SAB U21 Championships so far is that you never relax. You must be on your toes and think about the next opponent. You are always trying to improve and also looking at ways to outsmart your opponents. The talent as well is amazing. From all the teams I have seen as well as our players, I really think we will get a lot out of this tournament.

We really need to pay a huge debt of gratitude to SAFA and to SABfor making it possible for the players and us as coaches to have this platform,” the Gauteng coach said.

Though they are still dreaming of reaching the final, Gauteng will have to outsmart the already out Limpopo province in today’s fixture.